Kneeler for chairs



March 20, 1962 w. E. CLARIN 3,026,144

KNEELER FOR CHAIRS Filed Dec. 27, 1960 United States Patent Patentediv'lar. 2Q, 1962 Candice 3,026,144 KNEELER FOR CHAIRS Werner E. Clarin,WhitePigeon, Mich, assignor to Clarin Mfg. Co., Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 27, 1960, Ser..No. 78,731 6 Claims.(Cl. 297-425) The present invention relates to a kneeler attachment foruse in churches.

Kneelers, which are used in churches of various denominations, may beconveniently provided by fixing them to the rear of chairs. it isdesirable to have available chairs with kneelers to provide seatingspace in church when needed, but which can be used for other purposeswhen they are not needed for church services. This problem has beenpartially met by devices of the type shown in Patent No. 2,548,098 inwhich kneelers have been pivotally attached to the legs of the chairs insuch a Way that they could be folded up between the legs of the chairwhen the chair is not being used for church services. However, thesepermanently attached kneelers add considerable weight to the chairs andare relatively expensive. Furthermore, the added weight presents asubstantial problem when a number of these chairs have to be transportedany considerable distance.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention toprovide an improved, readily detachable kneeler attachment for chairs.It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide such akneeler attachment which is a unitary structure requiring no additionalpieces which may be misplaced or lost. It is still another object of thepresent invention to provide a kneeler attachment which is rugged anddurable so as to give long service but which is at the same time simpleand economical.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious fromthe following description and accom panying drawings.

In the drawings:

FZGURE l is a perspective view of a folding chair and a kneelerattachment assembled together and embodying various features of theinvention, the kneeler attachment being shown in the extended position;

FEGURE 2 is generally similar to FIG. 1, with the kneeler attachment inthe folded position;

FiGURE 3 is a side view of the chair and kneeler attachment shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the chair and the kneeler attachment both being in thefolded position;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the chair and kneelerattachment as seen in FIG. 2, illustrating particularly a unitarybracket structure utilized in attaching the kneeler to a cross brace ofthe chair, the latch of the bracket structure being shown in theunlocking position;

FIGURE 5 is a side view taken generally along line 55 of FIG. 4, butshowing the latch in the locking position and supporting arms for thekneeler in their horizontal position; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken generally along line 56 of FIG. 4.

Very generally, the illustrated device comprises a kneeler attachment 19for a chair '12 having a pair of spaced-apart rear legs and a crossbrace connecting the legs. The kneeler attachment 10 comprises aplatform 14, a pair of arms 16 which extend forwardly from oppositesides of the platform 14, and means 18 for detachably connecting thearms to the rear legs of the chair. The illustrated connecting means 18comprises a bracket 21 on the forward end of each arm. Each bracket hasa body section 22 and'a pair of flange sections 24 and 25 fixed to thebody section at an angle thereto. The

pair of flange sections 24 and 25 of each bracket 21 also extend at anangle with respect to each other, such that one of the flange sectionsis disposed to engage the chair leg and the other of the, flangesections is disposed to enga e the cross brace of the chair. Finally,the device includes locking means 26 movable relative to the bracket 21for cooperation with the bracket to secure it to the chair. Theillustrated kneeler attachment 1% is constructed so that it may befolded between the legs of the chair, as shown in FIG. 2, as wellasrbeing detached therefrom.

While the illustrated kneeler attachment 10 may obviously be utilizedwith other types of chairs, it is particularly adapted for use withfolding chairs, as its advantages are best utilized in situationscalling for the use of folding chairs. These situations are those,where, because of considerations such as space and mobility, deviceswhich may be folded or disassembled and relocated or stored are.particularly advantageous. The kneeler attachment lil, which meets theserequirements as it may be detached from the chair or may be folded withit as shown in FIG. 3, will accordingly be described as utilized withthe folding chair 12.

It should also be understood that while the present description of thedevice is directed to the preferred embodirnent shown in the drawings,the principles herein disclosed may be applicable to other types ofchairs having differing constructions and differing brace arrangernents.

The illustrated folding chair 12 comprises a pair of leg frames 62 and64 pivotally connected at 66 to form an X in extended or unfoldedposition and provide a support for a seat 58. ihe leg frames 62 and 64are formed from strips of sheet metal, the lateral edges of which havebeen turned inwardly to provide reinforcing beads 70 with a flat spacebetween them. Such a strip of metal is bent into the form of a U toprovide the frame 62 with parallel portions which are spanned by crossor transverse braces 72 and 74 adjacent to and on opposite sides of thepivot 66.

The frame 62 provides the front legs and back support for the chair 12.At the upper end or bight of the U there is arranged a curved plate ofsheet metal to constitute a back rest 78.

The frame ea comprises a pair of these formed strips providing the rearlegs 23 which are connected by a pair of spaced-apart cross ortransverse braces 78 and 30. The upper ends of the legs 2% are pivotallyconnected to the seat 68,, which is pivotally suspended from the frame62 by a pair of links 8%. At their lower extremities the frames 62 and64- are provided with suitable pads 82.

The cross brace 39 to which the kneeler attachment 10 is connectedextends between the rear legs 28 adjacent their lower ends and generallyperpendicularly thereto. As shown in MG. 6, the flat ends 31 of thebrace 39 are bent forwardly at approximately a right angle and are fixedto the legs 28 in a rigid manner, such as by bolting, riveting orwelding, to withstand the forces exerted upon the brace 38 by therepeated impacts applied to the kneeler attachment during its use. Theremainder of the illustrated cross brace 39, i.e., the portionintermediate its ends 31, shown in section in FIG. 4, is an elongatedmetal strip or strap formed similarly to the legs 28 by having itslateral edges 32 turned inwardly toward the front of the chair 12. Thebrace 30 also has a longitudinally extending depression providing acenter rib 34 on the rearward face of the brace 39.

The kneeler attachment 1% shown in the drawings isa unitary structurewhich may be attached to the chair and subsequently readily removed fromthe chair and stored separately. It has no extra parts to be misplacedor lost between times when it is used. As noted above, the

3 kneeler attachment it may also be folded between thelegs of the chair(FIGS. 2 and 4).

The illustrated kneeler attachment includes a rectangular kneelerplatform 14 which may be comprised of a solid base, suitable cushioningmaterial such as foam rubber overlying it to provide knee comfort, and acovering such as plastic or leather for holding the cushioning materialin place. The side to side dimension of the platform 14 is sufficientlysmall so that it will fit between the legs 28 when the chair is folded(FIG. 2). The remaining parts of the kneeler attachment 16 arepreferably constructed of relatively heavy duty metal to give longer,maintenance free use under the repeated impacts to which the attachmentis subjected during use.

As seen best in FIGS. 1 and 2, the kneeler platform 14 is secured to agenerally U-shaped supporting frame structure 49 which includes atransversely extending center portion and a pair of elongated arms 16which extend forwardly from opposite sides of the kneeler platform 14.Pivotally connected to the frame structure 40 is a kneeler leg structure42 which includes a pair of kneeler legs 43 located at either side ofthe kneeler platform 14. Pivotally connected to the kneeler legstructure 42 are a pair of elongated links 44.- Each of the links 44 ispivotally connected at one end to one of the kneeler legs 43- at a pointspaced downwardly from the pivotal connection of the kneeler legstructure 42 with the frame structure 40. Each of the links 44 extendsforwardly in generally parallel and underlying relation to one of thearms 16.

The forward ends of the arm 16 and the link 44 on each side of theattachment 10 are pivotally attached to a connecting'means 18 whichserves to detachably connect the kneeler attachment 10 to the chair 12.This connec tion is at approximately the two junctions of the crossbrace 30 with rear legs 28.

Each of the connecting means 18 shown in the drawings is a unitarybracket structure 20, which includes a generally U-shaped bracket 21 anda latch or fastener 54 pivotally supported on the bracket 21. A singlebracket structure 20 will now be described, it being understood thateach kneeler attachment 10 is provided with a pair of these structureswhich are alike except for thelobvious reversal of parts betweenbrackets used on opposite sides of the device. In this connection, theillustrated bracket 21 is constructed with certain of its parts, yet tobe dedescribed, duplicated, so that a single type stamping of thebracket 21 can be used to make a bracket structure for either side ofthe device.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the bracket 21 of the illustrated bracketstructure 29 has the center or body portion 22, a first leg providing aconnecting plate section 27, and a second leg providing the flangesection 25. The connecting plate section 27 is a generally verticallydisposed plate to which the forward ends of an arm 16 and a link 44 arepivotally connected as by rivets 43. The link 44 is suitably inwardlyoffset to clear the leg 16 when the kneeler attachment 10 is folded (asbest seen in FIGS. 2 and 4).

The generally flat body section 22 of the bracket 21 is adapted to fitgenerally flushed against the rearward face of the cross brace 3% at apoint adjacent one of the chair legs 28. The body 22 is provided with atransverse de pression 23 which generally mates with the center rib 34of the brace 36 to aid in positioning and maintaining the bracket 21 inplace relative to the brace 30. The upper end of the body section 22 isprovided with the curved, generally horizontally extending flangesection or hook 24 which hooks over and engages the upper edge of thecross brace 30, serving to support the bracket 21 upon the brace. Asecond transverse depression 23 and a second hook 24 on each bracket 21make it possible to use a single type stamping for both sides of thedevice as noted above.

The flange section 25 of the bracket 21 is formed into an elongated,generally vertically extending, semi-circular flange which engages therear head 70 of the chair leg 23, as seen in section in FIG. 6. T heengagement of the flange section 25 with the head 70 serves to positionthe bracket 21 and to limit its transverse movement relative to thechair 12. Also, the flange section 25 is preferably sufficient in lengthto substantially prevent the bracket 21 from wobbling relative to thechair.

A generally rectangular latch, fastener, or locking plate 54, havingends 58 and 60, is pivotally supported intermediate its ends on the bodysection 22, as by means of a suitable rivet 56, to provide the lockingmeans 26 for the illustrated embodiment. The latch 54 moves in a planegenerally parallel to the body section 22 and it has one end 58 offsetoutwardly from the body section, so that the end 58 moves in a planegenerally parallel to but spacedapart from the body section 22, Thespacing should be sufiiicient so that when the latch 54 is rotated tothe generally vertical position, its end 53 will move past the loweredge of the cross brace 36} and assume a position directly in front ofthe brace 30 (shown in FIG. 5) so as to lock the bracket structure 20upon the chair 12. The other end 60 of the latch 54 is adapted to begrasped by the user to rotate the latch. The end 60 is considerablylonger than the end 58 to provide mechanical advantage, and it is bentat its extremity to make it easier to hold and to operate.

Thus, the unitary kneeler attachment 10 may be attached to the chair 12by simply booking the horizontal flange sections 24 of its two brackets21 upon the upper edge of the cross brace 30, while engaging thevertical flange sections 25 of the brackets 21 with the beads 70 of thelegs 28, and then rotating the latches 54 of the bracket structures 20into the generally vertical position, as shown in FIG. 5, to lock thetwo unitary bracket structures 20, and thus the kneeler attachment 10,in place. i To remove the kneeler attachment 10, the latches 54 aremerely rotated so as to release their respective bracket structures 20,and the entire attachment 10 may be removed from the chair for repair,storage, or the like. Thus, the illustrated unitary kneeler attachment10 requires no screws, nuts, or bolts, but attaches firmly to the chairsimply and quickly, and may be removed from the chair in the same simpleand quick manner.

While some variations in the disclosed structure have been mentioned,various other details of the illustrated device may also be variedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. Various features ofthe present invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A kneeler attachment for a chair having a pair of spaced-apart rearlegs and a cross brace extending between the legs, said kneelerattachment comprising a platform, a pair of arms extending forwardlyfrom opposite sides of said platform, and means on said arms fordetachably connecting them to the rear legs of the chair, saidconnecting means comprising a bracket on the forward end of each arm,each of said brackets having a body section and a pair of flangesections fixed to said body section, said pair of flange sections beingdisposed with respect to each other so that one of said flange sectionsis arranged to engage a chair leg and the other of said flange sectionsis arranged to engage the cross brace of the chair, and locking meansmovable relative to said bracket for cooperation with said bracket tosecure it to the chair.

2. A kneeler attachment for a chair having a pair of spaced-apart rearlegs and a cross brace extending be tween the legs, said kneelerattachment comprising a platform, a pair of arms extending forwardlyfrom opposite sides of said platform, and a unitary bracket structure oneach of said arms for detachably connecting its forward end to a rearleg of the chair, each of said unitary bracket structures comprising abracket and locking means, each of said brackets having a body sectionand a pair of flange sections fixed to said body section at an anglethereto, said pair of flange sections being disposed at such an anglewith respect to each other that one of said flange sections is arrangedto engage the chair leg and the other of said flange sections isarranged to engage the cross brace of the chair, said locking meansbeing movably mounted on said bracket for movement relative thereto forcooperation with said bracket structure in securing said bracketstructure to the chair.

3. A kneeler attachment for a chair having a pair of spaced-apart rearlegs and a cross brace extending between the rear legs, said kneelerattachment comprising a kneeling platform, a pair of arms extendingforwardly from opposite sides of said platform, and a unitary bracketstructure on each of said arms for detachably attaching its forward endto a rear leg of the chair, each of said unitary bracket structurescomprising a bracket and a locking member, each of said brackets havinga body section and a pair of flange sections fixed to said body sectionand extending at an angle thereto, said flange sections being disposedgenerally at such an angle to each other that one of said flangesections is arranged to engage the chair leg to limit transversemovement of the bracket relative thereto, and the other of said flangesections is arranged to engage the upper edge of a portion of tue crossbrace adjacent that chair leg to support said bracket, said lockingmember being movably mounted on said bracket for movement in generallyparallel spaced relation to one of said bracket sections for cooperationwith said bracket structure in securing said bracket structure to thechair.

4. A kneeler attachment for a chair having a pair of spaced-apart rearlegs and a cross brace extending between the rear legs, said kneelerattachment comprising a kneeling platform, a pair of arms extendingforwardly from opposite sides of said platform, and a unitary bracketstructure on each of said arms for detachably attaching its forward endto a rear leg of the chair, each of said unitary bracket structurescomprising a bracket and a locking member, said bracket having a bodysection and a pair of flange sections fixed to said body section andextending at an angle thereto, said flage sections being disposedgenerally at such an angle to each other that one of said flangesections is arranged to engage the chair leg to limit transversemovement of the bracket relative thereto and the other of said flangesections is arranged to engage the portion of the cross brace adjacentthat chair leg, said leg engaging flange section being formed andaligned to engage a length of the chair leg to limit transverse movementand Wobbling of the bracket relative to the chair leg, said braceengaging flange section being formed to engage the upper edge of thebrace to support said bracket, said locking member being pivotallymounted on said bracket for movement in generally parallel spacedrelation to one of said bracket sections for cooperation with saidbracket structure in securing said bracket structure to the chair.

5. In combination with a folding chair having a pair of rear legs whichare braced adjacent their lower end by a cross brace connected betweensaid legs, a removable kneeler attachment comprising a kneeler platform,a pair of arms extending forwardly from said platform along oppositesides thereof, and a unitary bracket structure pivotally connected tothe forward end of each of said arms for detachably attaching saidforward end to one of said rear legs of said chair, each of said unitarybracket structures comprising a generally U-shaped area bracket and alatch pivotally mounted on said bracket, each of said brackets havingone leg section thereof providing said pivotal connection with said arm,the center section of said bracket having facing engagement with saidcross brace of said chair, said center section having a curved flangesection engaging the upper edge of said cross brace to support saidbracket, and the other leg section of said U-shaped bracket being formedto provide a flange for engaging a length of the rear leg of said chairto limit movement of said bracket transverse of said chair leg, sm'dpivotally mounted latch being movable in generally parallel, spacedrelation to said center section for cooperation therewith in grippingopposite sides of said cross brace, whereby said unitary bracketstructure can be releasably locked in position on said chair and saidkneeler platform can be moved between a position extending rearwardly ofsaid chair and a folded position wherein said kneeler platform and armsare disposed between said rear legs of said chair.

6. In combination with a folding chair having a pair of rear legs whichare braced adjacent their lower end by a cross brace connected betweensaid legs, a removable kneeler attachment comprising a kneeler platform,a supporting frame structure for said platform, including a pair of armsextending forwardly from said platform along opposite sides thereof, akneeler leg structure for said platform pivotally connected to saidframe structure, a pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart linkspivotally connected to said kneeler leg structure and extendingforwardly therefrom, respectively, in generally parallel, underlyingrelation to one of said arms, and a unitary bracket structure pivotallyconnected to the forward ends of the arm and link on each side of saidplatform for detachably attaching said forward ends to one of said rearlegs of said chair, each of said unitary bracket structures comprising agenerally U-shaped bracket and a latch pivotally mounted on saidbracket, each of said brackets having one leg section thereof providingsaid pivotal connection with said arm and link, the center section ofsaid bracket having facing engagement with said cross brace of saidchair, said center section having a curved flange section engaging theupper edge of said cross brace to support said bracket, and the otherleg section of said U-shaped bracket being formed to provide a flangefor engaging a length of the rear leg of said chair to limit movement ofsaid bracket transverse of said chair leg, said pivotally mounted latchbeing movable in generally parallel, spaced relation to said centersection for cooperation therewith in gripping opposite sides of saidcross brace, whereby said unitary bracket structure can be releasablylocked in position on said chair and said kneeler platform can be movedbetween a position extending rearwardly of said chair and a foldedposition wherein said kneeler platform, frame structure, links and armsare disposed between said rear legs of said chair, and wherein saidkneeler leg structure is folded against the bottom of said kneelerplatform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,548,098 Clarin Apr. 10, 1951 2,671,497 McIntyre Mar. 9, 1954 2,739,748Hoover Mar. 27, 1956 2,766,957 Nelson Oct. 16, 1956 2,873,937 OldenburgFeb. 17, 1959

